Los Angeles, CA – On September 15, over 50 residents of Los Angeles attended a board of supervisors meeting to demand the BOS take action to ban deputy gangs in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department. African American and Chicano families impacted by deputy gangs mobilized to speak in favor of the motion.
Supervisor Holly J. Mitchel of District 2 authored the motion that attempted to hold the Los Angeles County Sheriffs accountable for their deputy gang problem. The motion called for “Identifying Deputy Gangs within the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to Ensure Accountability and Risk Mitigation.” The motion would require the sheriff’s department to create a comprehensive framework for identifying and naming deputy gangs.
Impacted families, Centro CSO and Justice LA organized for weeks prior to pressure the LA Board of Supervisors to approve this motion that included language that bans racist deputy gang logos, such as the Fort Apache logo at the East Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department.
Before the hearing, Justice LA organized a press conference where impacted family members spoke out about the abuse and deaths caused by deputy gang members in LA County’s Men’s Central Jail and on the streets by LA County Sheriffs.
Before public comments were heard, Sheriff Robert Luna spoke for over an hour against this motion, and so greatly limited the time the people were given. Over 50 people, largely African American and Chicano, spoke unanimously in favor of the motion.
In the end, the board of supervisors, except for Supervisor Mitchell, voted to bifurcate the motion and postpone a vote on it for a period of 45 days. This is a clear attempt by the board to shield Sheriff Luna against bad publicity.
Cindy Nunez, sister of Francisco Nunez, stated, “Today was deeply disappointing. After asking our county leaders to confront the issue of deputy gangs, I watched the board bifurcate Mitchell’s motion and push this conversation beyond next month’s [sheriff’s] election. For families like mine, this is not a political talking point or an agenda item that can simply be moved down the calendar. We are real families living with the consequences of what happens when accountability is delayed.”
Vanessa Perez, mother of Joseph Perez, stated, “It says a lot when a supervisor can recognize deputy gangs and not just us community members. It’s too bad that the other supervisors wanted to delay it but you know it’s a little rock in the path, you know. It’s an ulterior motive for the election.
Janet Asante, with Dignity & Power Now, said, “This motion wasn’t even that radical. All it asks is that the sheriff department identify deputy gangs within its ranks, not even its members. The fact is that the board would rather wait and strategically push it to after the election. They are playing political games, and meanwhile people are dying.”
This decision by the LA Board of Supervisors shows that the power should not be in the hands of the politicians, it should be in the hands of the people in the form of community control of police, which is a demand Centro CSO upholds. If you want to stay up to date with Centro CSO’s fight for police accountability, follow them on socials @CentroCSO.
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